Cadwell Park BSB 2026: What to Expect
August Bank Holiday. Lincolnshire Wolds. Superbikes getting airborne over a hill. Cadwell Park’s ‘Party in the Park’ is the best weekend on the British domestic calendar, and this year it lands with a championship that has just got interesting again. Here is what you need to know before 29 August.
Why this one matters
Cadwell is round eight of eleven, and the last stop before the Showdown. After this the paddock gets a breather, then heads to Assen for the first of the three title-deciding rounds, followed by Donington and the Brands Hatch GP finale in October.
It is also BSB’s 30th anniversary season, and Cadwell is where the series has always looked most like itself. Two miles of woodland and parkland, no run-off worth mentioning, and the Mountain, which throws 200bhp superbikes properly into the air in front of a packed bank. There is nothing else like it in British motorsport, and the circuit knows it. This is the one Cadwell builds its whole year around.
The championship after Thruxton
Kyle Ryde leads on 348 points. Scott Redding is second on 301, a 47-point gap that got worse for him at Thruxton when he was tipped out on lap one of the final race after contact with Jason O’Halloran.
Bradley Ray is third on 257 for McAMS Yamaha, Leon Haslam fourth on 223 for Moto Rapido Ducati, and Ryan Vickers is now a clear fifth on 199 after the weekend of his season.
Ryde is the reigning champion and switched to Ducati with Nitrous Competitions over the winter, which has not slowed him down in the slightest. He won twelve races before Thruxton had even started. He picked up his 80th BSB podium there too.
Vickers gave Honda something to shout about
Ryan Vickers won both Sunday races at Thruxton for Honda Racing UK, the marque’s first BSB victory in close to a year. The second one he stole from Bradley Ray on the run to the flag by 0.075 seconds, having lost a knee slider at Church and apparently decided that was Ray’s problem rather than his.
Honda have spent the season chipping away at a bike that was not working. Two wins in an afternoon is not a fluke at Thruxton, where you cannot hide a slow bike. Whether that translates to Cadwell, which is the polar opposite of Thruxton in almost every way, is the interesting question.
The Ryde engine curiosity
Worth watching this one. Ryde revealed after the Thruxton finale that he had asked race direction for permission to run a standard Superstock engine for the weekend, to help with tyre life and get the Ducati package working. He was down on straight-line speed as a result and still finished third.
Cadwell is not a horsepower circuit. If he runs the same setup there, it might actually suit him.
Max Cook and the walking wounded
Max Cook took a heavy crash on the pit straight in Thruxton race one, red-flagging the race and going to hospital with a nasty concussion. He was ruled out for the rest of the weekend but has said he is planning to be back on the AJN Steelstock bimota at Cadwell. Richard Kerr was also ruled out at Thruxton after a warm-up fall at Village.
Where to stand
The Mountain, obviously. Mountain Approach and Mountain Peak grandstands run £22 to £36 and put you level with the summit, which is where you see riders leave the ground entirely. Club Hairpin is £15 to £25 and gives you the start line, Coppice and a slice of the Mountain from one seat, which is decent value. Charlie’s Exit is Monday only at £25, roving seats, and covers the fastest part of the lap down to Mansfield.
If you are not paying for a seat, the general banking around the Mountain and the Gooseneck is free with admission and always has been the proper way to do Cadwell. Get there early and pick your spot.
Big screens are up at the main spectator bank, Charlie’s Exit and the Gooseneck on Monday, with the main bank only on Sunday. BSB Radio is on 88.0FM if you want commentary in your ear.
Tickets and the practical bit
Weekend admission is £52 online for adults against £75 on the gate, so book ahead. Teens aged 13 to 15 pay £31 online. Under 13s go free. Seniors are £58, gate only.
Single days: Saturday is £16 online and is practice only. Sunday is £29 online and gets you qualifying plus the first feature race. Monday is £37 online for the sprint and the final feature, which is the pick if you can only do one day.
Advance booking closes at 4pm on Thursday 27 August. After that it is gate prices.
Camping has sold out. Pitches and unreserved tickets are gone and will not be released on the weekend. If you already hold a pitch you can add tickets for up to six people. Everyone else needs to look at campsites around Louth.
Gates open 8am Saturday, 7.30am Sunday, 7am Monday. Parking is free in the North and South car parks. Bike parking is on grass at the main gate with stands provided, and the Rotary Club run helmet and leather parks in all the bike parks for local charities. Use them.
The undercard is worth turning up for
British Supersport, British Sportbike and National Superstock all run across the weekend. Supersport in particular has been the story of the season thanks to Oli Bayliss, who has taken ten podiums from ten starts including six wins, despite missing the opening rounds. Luke Stapleford still leads the class comfortably, but Bayliss has closed to within touching distance of second.
There are live bands on Saturday and Sunday evening too, which is either a bonus or a reason to camp further away, depending on your view.
Cadwell not for you, or already booked? There is plenty more on across the country over the Bank Holiday. Bike nights, rallies, ride-outs and race meets, all in one place.
